


When I'm Up (I Can't Get Down)

by ExpressAndAdmirable



Series: The Heroes of Light [56]
Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game), Dungeons & Dragons - All Media Types, Final Fantasy I
Genre: Bards Being Bards, Dancing, Drow, F/F, F/M, Polyamory, Romance, Team Bonding, Team as Family, Tiefling, high elf
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-24
Updated: 2018-01-24
Packaged: 2019-03-08 23:46:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13469145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ExpressAndAdmirable/pseuds/ExpressAndAdmirable
Summary: Lux kisses a boy, kisses a girl, throws an impromptu concert and generally has a Very Good Day. (Featuring art!)





	When I'm Up (I Can't Get Down)

**Author's Note:**

> I had three different real-life songs in mind for Lux to play when writing this piece, which are the [opening jig](https://youtu.be/N3gcCAXm-ek), an [acapella song](https://youtu.be/J_VcNUgG2Yk) and the [Cornerian tune](https://youtu.be/2k700R5I5lQ). Give them a listen! Included is some lovely Lux art, drawn by Wilhelm's player.

Their parting kiss might have been considered chaste had it not lingered quite so long, his fingers curved over her hip, her palm resting on the line of his jaw. The Seer and the Hero. The Prince and the bard. A man and a woman.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me, Aviva,” Elerian continued, a boyish grin spreading across his face, “I’m–”

“–needed in the Prophet’s chamber!” exclaimed Adelia Crosier as she burst into the foyer, nearly dropping her stack of papers in her rush to collect the Seer.

Aviva lifted a violet brow, unable to hide her amusement. “You did that on purpose.” Clearly, being precognitive had its dramatic advantages.

Elerian said nothing, but as he followed the beleaguered scribe through the door, he winked.

Stepping out of the council building and into the early evening air, Aviva retrieved a cigarette from her pouch and lit it with a flick of magic. Leaning against one of the wooden columns adorning the outer doorway, smiling to herself as she exhaled, she watched the bustle of the village beyond.

When they had visited just a few days prior, Crescent Lake had been so peaceful. Serene and otherworldly, a spiderweb of buildings suspended above the surface of the lake, a resting place for the dead that had not seen change in a hundred hundred years. Now it was full of shouts and sawing wood, vendors making sales, militia training, expansion and fortification. Boats and ships of varying sizes rippled the greenish water – their own, the Highwind, included – and pack animals waited on the shore with additional supplies. The village of the dead was suddenly full to bursting with life.

At first the change had been jarring, a barrage of frenzied activity that had quickly overwhelmed her and sent her seeking the quiet company of the Seer ( _Sure, V_ , she thought with a snort, _that was absolutely the only reason_.) But now, given enough time to fully process what was happening, she was beginning to look at the growing village with new eyes. All around her was excitement, anticipation; the air positively buzzed with energy. The people who had come to Crescent Lake were not afraid, they were determined. They came to aid in the coming battle in whatever form it took. Their faith in the Heroes of Light, in _her_ , had brought them far from their homelands and into the path of the storm. They knew what was coming. They were ready for it.

Extinguishing the end of her cigarette between her fingers, Aviva pushed off from the column and meandered up the wooden blanks toward the closest connecting point. Nodding to a group of Gnomes she recognised from Scanderimus as she passed, she banked left onto the next walkway in the direction of the Highwind, a sudden stroke of inspiration quickening her pace. All at once, she had a plan.

She found Haluei’en in the Highwind’s galley, manoeuvring three large casks of wine into hopefully unobtrusive positions against one wall. The Drow paused her task as she approached, eyeing her expression with a knowing smirk.

“I see your rendezvous with the Seer went we–”

Aviva took the Drow’s face in her hands, cutting off her words with a breathless kiss. Surprise quickly melting into acquiescence, Halei wrapped her arms around the Tiefling’s waist, returning the kiss with equal ardor and taking a moment to recover when finally released. “–Well.”

“I love you, sunshine,” Aviva murmured, resting her forehead lightly against the shorter woman’s. “So, so much.”

“I love you, too,” Halei replied with a smile, still slightly confused but certainly not complaining.

Leaving another kiss on the Drow’s lips, Aviva turned and departed as abruptly as she’d arrived, making her way down the hall to their cabin and rummaging in her pack. It took longer than expected to find her pouch of makeup; any adornment beyond her daily routine had fallen by the wayside during their time on the road. Tonight, however, she was feeling inspired.

Less than ten minutes later (thank the gods her cosmetic skills were still intact), she slipped the strap of her lute over her head and seized her violin case. When she passed the galley again, Halei was still negotiating with the wine casks, though she had retrieved a mug from the cupboard in anticipation of her success. Halei’s frown of concentration softened as she saw the Tiefling in the doorway. “Look at you. What’s the occasion?”

“Celebrating.” Aviva grinned. “Come to the tavern when you’re done.”

Halei’s frown returned. “I didn’t know there was a tavern.”

“Well, it’s more of a pavilion at the moment,” Aviva answered with a shrug. “It’s got a roof now, I think. It _will_ be a tavern eventually. But that’s not the point.” She pecked the Drow on the cheek. “Tell the others if you see them!” she called over her shoulder as she departed.

The structure may not technically have counted as a tavern just yet, but it was well on its way, a high, sturdy roof sheltering tables, benches, a long bar to one side and a shorter bar against what would eventually be the back wall. The lack of walls actually made it rather romantic; the view of the lake, with faint globes of light floating and glimmering on its surface, and the paper lanterns hanging from the supporting beams gave it the air of a festive garden party. Two Half-Elves tended the bar, a man and a woman, and a number of servers flitted amongst the tables. Taking a deep breath, Lux strode inside.

A hush fell over the patrons as she entered. It was not the sort of disgusted silence to which she had grown accustomed, however, and after a moment, she realised it was awe. Catching the male barkeep’s eye, she smiled her best smile and held up her violin. “May I?” Dumbfounded, the barkeep nodded, gesturing to the back bar. Lux followed the line of his finger and nodded in turn. “Much obliged.”

Every eye followed her as she rounded the bar, set her instruments on the unfinished wood, and hopped up to join them. She knelt to open her violin case and give the strings a quick tune, then she stood, casting her gaze on the sea of reverently upturned faces. Setting the violin beneath her chin, she paused to smile at the expectant audience, then tapped her boot against the bar.

She took her time, building a rhythm with her footfalls, adding a clap to punctuate each measure. Then she stepped delicately to one side, leaving a shimmering, illusory pair of boots to continue the beat she had started. Only then did she set her bow to the strings, unfurling a slow, sultry jig that filled every corner the tavern and echoed outwards across the lake. It was one of her favourite pieces, learned from the Old Man and not played in some time. It felt right to begin with his spirit at her side.

The mood shifted instantly. A young Elven woman looked as if she wanted to dance; Lux grinned at her, nodding her encouragement, and she stood and took the hand of the shyer Human woman next to her. Others quickly followed suit, finding their partners or dancing alone, and by the time she finished the piece, half the tavern was moving. They burst into furious applause and she dipped her head in thanks, instinctively scanning the crowd for the usual sprinkling of hateful scowls. She found none. Blinking, her chest suddenly tight, she began her next piece.

It did not take long for the whole affair to spin wildly and wonderfully out of hand. Attracted by the strains of music beckoning them over the water, people flocked to the makeshift tavern, shoving tables and benches toward the edges of the platform to free up more space for dancing. Lux spied Maergrahn joining the fray, grasping the forearms of another Dwarf and throwing him expertly into a third as they bellowed with laughter. Soon after, she noticed Wilhelm and Sol leaning against the bar, the former nursing a large glass of brown liquid until a Human fellow approached him with an outstretched hand. With a look towards Lux that clearly blamed her entirely, Wil finished his drink and accepted. Sol smirked.

Nodding in time with the music, Grummer eventually stood and cracked his neck, then approached Cid where she was dancing with a number of Gnomes and Halflings. He bent to ask her something and Lux watched the little woman’s face light up with glee. Separating from her dance partners, Cid took Grummer’s offered hands, stepping onto the Half-Orc’s feet as he began to move. Like a grandfather with his progeny, Grummer danced with his Gnomish friend, and Lux found herself grinning in delight at the image.

She conjured as she played, supplementing her violin, lute and voice with whatever accompaniment she needed. The ghostly, floating instruments were not strictly necessary, but Lux had never lacked for showmanship. When she needed a chorus, she created indistinct figures with voices to match her own, much to the excitement of the patrons who recognised the pieces and sang along. To perform one duet, she invoked the essence of the friend with whom she had written it, a hulking green-skinned shade with long ears and a high ponytail. She even, once, duelled her violin against the blue-robed shadow of the Old Man himself. If only he could see her now.

The first notes of her next piece caused every Cornerian in the tavern to roar with approval. Princess Sara’s favourite song, the one she and Lux had played during her impromptu tour of the city years ago. They roared even louder when she adjusted her illusion to include the outline of a Human girl playing an ethereal lute. Probably for the best that King Johann had not reared his royal head, but the common folk loved the Princess – and, admittedly, Lux’s own relationship to the royal caste had become somewhat malleable of late.

The sudden addition of a flute, though not incongruous with the song itself, almost made her lose both her concentration on the magic and her place in the music. Looking behind her at the apparition she had not cast, she turned to the crowd to discern its source – and shook her head with laughter.

Beside Sol at the bar stood Elerian, both of them watching her with identically impish expressions. Elerian’s fingers fluttered beneath the sleeve of his emerald robe, one brow rising as her gaze alighted on them. Sol hid her face behind her mug of ale as her smirk broadened. Lux huffed another laugh, narrowing her eyes at the pair, then winked. If her partner and her inamorato were to join forces to play tricks on her, she would at least make them work for it.

Slowly, she increased the tempo of the music, and as she predicted, the flute tastefully faded away a few measures later. She suspected he knew the tune but was not a musician himself, and her penchant for creative license with famous works often confused even accomplished bards. With an innocent look at the ceiling, she added a flute of her own; Sol grinned, and Elerian bowed his head, offering a small clap of graceful defeat. They returned to their conversation and Lux looked out over the crowd.

Not a single person in the tavern, in the entire village, had looked upon her with revulsion. She had not once been called a demon spawn, had not seen a single gesture of warding. Not one soul had spat at her feet or accused her of evil deeds. Here they looked at her with joy, with adoration, as if she had descended from the heavens to bless them with fire and music and light. She felt a familiar tightness in her chest, the same sensation as when Sol kissed her forehead or Cid took her hand. These strangers, much like the Heroes of Light, looked at the overtall red-skinned devil woman from the poorest part of Corneria and saw something, some _one_ , worthwhile. Blinking away the stinging in her eyes, she started her next song.

Here, in the village of the dead, surrounded by those she loved and those she had never met, Lux began to feel like a Hero.

**Author's Note:**

> Title song by Great Big Sea.
> 
> Follow me on Tumblr at @expressandadmirable for a proper table of contents for the Heroes campaign, commissioned character art, text-based roleplay snippets and more!


End file.
